


worth the effort

by lorelaislatte



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: F/F, a short little one shot for your nerves, because this idea wouldn't leave me alone even at 4am, dani gets a tattoo, god i really have been writing non stop today, jamie gets emotional
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29647725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorelaislatte/pseuds/lorelaislatte
Summary: “You got a moonflower.”Jamie’s voice is suspiciously shaky, and Dani is just beginning to worry, when Jamie leans down and places a soft kiss to Dani’s inner wrist, just below the tattoo to avoid disturbing the skin any further. She stays there for a moment, and when she looks up, Dani is surprised to see tears in her eyes.
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie
Comments: 42
Kudos: 155





	worth the effort

**Author's Note:**

> i know i should space these updates out but fuck it, i'm a comment whore and y'all are enablers
> 
> important that you all know that i chose the left arm because that’s the arm dani has around jamie in the second shot we see of them asleep together.
> 
> consider it a kind of canon divergence - it’s all the same backstory but with no lady of the lake. so they’re just gay and happy. why? because i said so.

“Jamie?”

“Bedroom!”

Dani grins to herself as she wriggles her key out of the lock, kicking the door shut behind her. She drops her bag on the sofa, careful not to jostle her left arm too much. “Just coming!"

“You will be!”

She rolls her eyes fondly as she pulls the wine from her bag that she’d picked up on the way home. She’s not a hundred percent sure what Jamie is going to say to her surprise - it won’t be _bad,_ but the plan is to go wine first, so that if nothing else, Jamie can have a drink to wash it down.

Her arm still stings a little, the small picture on her inner left forearm fresh, and she has to suppress another smile as she looks down. She can’t see it through the fabric of her jumper, but just knowing it’s there, brand new and ready to be shown off, that’s enough for her. 

Jamie will be in bed by now, she knows. It’s only just hit half five, but they keep the shop closed on Sundays, and Jamie has a tendency to breeze through her chores in the morning, changing into her pyjamas after lunch and usually pulling Dani down into bed with her. It’s a comforting routine, forged in their shared intimacy and a life full of total ease with each other. 

She used to hate lazy days with a passion, her mind always running far too quickly to even think about relaxing. Hated the constant fear of Eddie over her shoulder, or the kids running off, or a myriad of other things that swirl around her head and force her to keep moving, always keep moving. Jamie, though, she slows her down. Gives her a _reason_ to slow down. Hours have been spent in bed together, even when they’re both doing totally different things: Jamie with a book, her with a film. Jamie with a crossword, her with the radio on. What they’re doing isn’t important, it’s merely the presence of Jamie that soothes her, makes her feel safe, protected.

When Jamie had shown up with the moonflower and a love confession, all those years ago? Well. She’d known then that Jamie would truly do anything for her, and she reciprocates that tenfold.

Despite spending almost all of her time with Jamie, the tattoo was another way of keeping Jamie close to her. She’d told their story to the artist with a faint blush, even the sketches enough to make her feel a little emotional, and now she’s got a piece of Jamie physically _on_ her. Their love and their lives are entwined together already, bound by the promise of golden rings and _commitment,_ day in, day out, but now she’s got a second piece of Jamie for the world to see, not just her. It feels good. Warm.

“You ever gonna join me?”

Jamie’s voice rings through the hallway and Dani shakes herself out of her reverie, leaving her shoes by the door as she wanders through. As expected, Jamie is already in her pyjamas - or, rather, she’s already in Dani’s pyjamas, she recognises the faded pink shirt and shorts - and is waiting for her with a dazzling grin, her book open in her lap.

It doesn’t matter how many years go by, how she sees Jamie for about twenty-two of the twenty-four hours of every day, the sight of her wife absolutely _never_ fails to take her breath away. Jamie is so loving, Dani sees it in the way her eyes light up, the way she follows Dani across a room, a bright smile on her lips every time they’re together. The twinkle in Jamie’s eyes never fades, and Dani melts as Jamie tosses her book aside, opening her arms and beckoning Dani over.

“Hey, you.”

“Hi,” Dani says, leaning in for a kiss. She gives a delighted squeal as Jamie suddenly deepens it, sweeping her tongue into her mouth, and Dani half-falls on the bed next to her, breaking their kiss to shuffle properly up.

“Been anywhere fun?”

She’d left a few hours ago with a bad lie about having some errands to do, and Jamie had simply raised her eyebrows, bidding her goodbye with a kiss and a _full of surprises, aren’t you,_ as Dani had headed out.

“Yeah,” Dani says, taking a breath. “I, uh, did something. A good thing, I think.”

Jamie shifts onto her side, propping her head up with one elbow and tracing a hand down Dani’s thigh. “Suspense is killing me.”

Dani looks at her, before nodding, gently peeling her jumper off so she’s just in her bra underneath. Jamie gives a very unsubtle glance at her breasts, that telltale smirk on her face, before her eyes drift down to Dani’s arms, noticing the new ink there.

“Dani, is that-”

“Yeah. Yeah, uh, it’s a moonflower.”

Jamie’s jaw has dropped as she gently takes Dani’s arm, turning it to see properly. She’s silent, studying the flower from every ankle, gently tracing her fingers over it and causing a shiver to roll through Dani’s spine at the touch.

“You got a moonflower.”

Jamie’s voice is suspiciously shaky, and Dani is _just_ beginning to worry, when Jamie leans down and places a soft kiss to Dani’s inner wrist, just below the tattoo to avoid disturbing the skin any further. She stays there for a moment, and when she looks up, Dani is surprised to see tears in her eyes.

“Why?”

Her tone isn’t annoyed, or even particularly questioning, just a gentle curiosity as Dani gives her a small smile, shrugging. “Wanted you with me. _On_ me. All the time.”

“Dani, this is so _permanent-_ ”

“So are you,” she says, firmly. “I love you. More than anything. More than anyone. I don’t _need_ a permanent picture on me to know how much, but I _want_ it. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.”

She knows that Jamie has more than enough baggage with people leaving her life. Knows from experience that Jamie gives and gives and gives, without expectation, always with the tiniest seed of doubt in her mind that things could still go wrong. The progress she’s made in the time Dani’s known her has been incredible, the last few years Dani’s seen time and time again how Jamie has softened, opened herself up, really let herself trust that Dani loves her. But Dani knows all too well that some old habits are harder to shake - all she can do is be there for her. And she plans to be, for the rest of their lives, and then some.

“Do you like it?” Dani asks, somewhat nervously, and Jamie chokes out a half-laugh, half-sob in response.

“I love it,” she says softly, meeting Dani’s eyes with all the love in the world shining through her own. “I love _you._ So much.”

Dani smiles at her, leaning in for another kiss, feeling Jamie’s hand gently move from her wrist to her hair, threading through golden strands as she cups the back of Dani’s head. Every kiss with Jamie feels like the first, impossibly passionate, giving Dani a glimpse into feelings of euphoria that nothing else in her life has ever been able to provoke. Growing up surrounded by divorce, with heterosexual marriages that resulted in grudges and resentment, screaming kids and bitter housewives, she can’t believe how lucky she got with Jamie. How grateful she is for whichever deity decided to throw the dice and put them in the same place, tugging on that red string of fate to ensure they stumbled into each other’s lives.

Being married to Eddie was her biggest nightmare. Being married to Jamie is the happiest she’s ever been.

“Did it hurt?” Jamie asks as they separate, Dani going to throw her pyjamas on and put the television on quietly in the background. She slips back into bed, relishing in the way Jamie immediately curls into her, an arm around her waist as she rests her head on Dani’s shoulder, soft breaths on her collarbone.

“A little. Not as much as I thought.”

Jamie hums, taking her hand and kissing her wrist again, and Dani can feel the smile on her face before she sees it. “It’s beautiful, Poppins. Really.”

She presses a kiss to Jamie’s hair, then another. “You’re always a part of me, but it’s nice to see it. Show you off to the world, even if they don’t know it.”

She feels Jamie’s head shift off of her shoulder, turning her head to meet Jamie’s eyes, noting the slight tremble in her lower lip. “You’re a marvel, you know that?”

Soft lips meet hers again, and Dani smiles into the kiss, reaching down to fiddle at the hem of Jamie’s shirt. “Wouldn’t mind you telling me again.”

**Author's Note:**

> short and hopefully sweet. i wrote this in under half an hour so excuse any errors. no proofreading we die like men
> 
> ps this is the tattoo i’m getting in the summer, though i haven’t decided if it’s going inner arm or outer ankle yet. vote below x


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